


The Hands That Pulled Me from the Earth

by hazelNuts



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Allison, Domestic, F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Memory Loss, Nightmares, Protective Lydia, Resurrection, Temporary Character Death, Weapons, background Derek/Stiles, background Scott/Kira
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-31 10:32:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3974863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelNuts/pseuds/hazelNuts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Allison is resurrected by Lydia, but she doesn't remember anything about her former live. They move away, to start over. But memories can't be erased, they can only be suppressed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. That Night, the Bugs and the Dirt

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT NOTE CONCERNING THE TIMELINE: Everything with the Nogitsune still happened, but right after graduation. The first chapter begins late August/early September. No Kate and no berserkers, because nothing about that made sense.
> 
> Created for the Allydia Reverse Bang, based on [this amazing vid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cATTfv83SQ) made by [pocketlass](http://pocketlass.tumblr.com/). [laurahaie](http://laurahaie.tumblr.com/) betaed the fic.
> 
> I'm really bad at tagging. If you think I forgot any, please let me know in the comments.

‘And you’re sure this will work?’ Lydia knows she sounds desperate, almost begging, but it’s been nearly two months of fruitless research.

‘No. But it’s the only thing that I think _might_ work.’

Lydia grabs the bag of powder from Deaton’s examination table. She’s got her hand on the door handle when the vet starts talking again.

‘The most important thing is for you to want it, Lydia. Without that, it definitely won’t work.’

‘That won’t be an issue.’

~

‘I think I’ve found a way,’ she says when Chris opens the door. She steps past him, without waiting for a reaction.

‘She’s gone, Lydia,’ he sighs.

‘I know. Peter was gone, too. And I brought him back. Why should he get a second chance and not her?’

‘Did you come here for permission?’

‘I came to tell you. And to ask if you wanted to help.’

The pain of losing his daughter is still etched in the man’s face, but there is a flicker of hope in his eyes now, too. When he nods, she breathes a sigh of relief. She hadn’t been sure she’d be able to do it on her own.

‘When were you planning on doing this?’

‘It has to be on a new moon. So in three days.’

‘Do the others know?’

Lydia shakes her head. ‘They’d try to stop me. Except for Stiles. He’d probably help, find twenty other ways that might work.’

~

‘Oh my god, why are you telling me this? You know I’m a terrible liar.’ Stiles jumps up from where he was sitting next to Lydia on the bed and starts pacing his room.

‘You’re not a terrible liar, Stiles,’ she assures him.

‘You all pretend that I’m not, but I am. Especially to my dad and Scott, who is also a living lie detector.’

‘I just- I can’t do this alone. Chris knows and he’s helping me, but I need a friend,’ she says, looking down at her hands.

‘Of course, I’ll help,’ Stiles nods. He stops pacing and sits back down, wraps his arm around Lydia’s shoulders and squeezes. ‘What do you need?’

‘A shovel.’

~

‘You know,’ Stiles says, throwing another shovelful of dirt on the pile next to Allison’s grave. ‘When you said you needed my help-‘ more dirt goes on the pile ‘-I didn’t think you meant as your gravedigger.’

Lydia quickly steps aside to prevent the dirt from sliding over her feet and filling her shoes.

‘Chris is making sure we won’t be interrupted, and I’m not strong enough to get all that dirt out of the way.’

‘Flattery will get you nowhere, missy.’

She raises her eyebrows.

‘Fine, it will get you pretty much anywhere.’

There’s hollow _thump_ as the shovel hits wood.

‘Holy shit,’ Stiles breathes. He quickly gets rid of the remaining layer of soil. The wood that had gleamed at the funeral has gone dull and it’s already showing signs of insects trying to get in. ‘Pliers,’ Stiles calls, holding out his hand.

Lydia can feel excitement bubbling up, as she watches Stiles remove the nails from the coffin. They’re so close.

When he’s done, Stiles climbs out of the hole and drops down on the grass next the grave.

‘You’re up, banshee.’

Lydia grabs the little bag tightly and starts pouring it on the ground. A circle, that’s what she needs. One closed circle. She has to believe. She has to want it more than anything. When the last grains of the powder are out of the bag, she sits down next to Stiles.

‘What was in there anyway?’

‘Acorns for life, jade for life and protection, silver as a reminder of who she is.’

‘This will bring her back?’

‘I hope so,’ she whispers.

Stiles holds out his hand and she grasps it tightly. It has to work.

They wait and they hope. Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Thirty minutes.

‘No. Come on, Ally,’ Lydia says. She pulls her hand from Stiles’ and kneels at the edge of the circle. ‘You can do this. Please.’

She closes her eyes and connects to that thing at the back of her mind, to that feeling of always knowing a little more than everyone else, and wills it out of her hands, through the earth and into that coffin. A scream builds in her throat. The same one she’d felt that night at Eichen House.

‘Allison!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


	2. In Some Way I Already Know

‘Well, this party is-‘

‘-lame,’ Lydia finishes her friend’s sentence.

‘Yes,’ Allison nods. ‘Let’s find a clean bathroom, because I have to pee, and then go home.’

‘That is a great idea.’

Lydia takes Allison’s drink and puts it next to her own on the kitchen counter. It’s just water for the both of them. Alcohol makes her banshee powers less tolerable and Allison doesn’t like the way it makes her lose focus. Lydia has a suspicion it’s because of that disastrous birthday party, but she’s glad she’s not the only sober person here.

And they really are the only sober people. They’re at a frat party hosted by some Stanford kids. It had started out okay, until another frat had arrived and the party became a drinking contest.

She grabs Allison’s hand and leads her out of the kitchen, ignoring the way her palm tingles when she touches the other girl’s skin. The first time it had happened had been a week after the resurrection. They were on their way to San Francisco, for their “gap year”. She’d thought it had been because Allison was so newly alive and her powers had connected with that. She’d thought it would pass, but after another week it hadn’t stopped and she’d called Stiles.

‘ _You love her_ ,’ he’d said, a smile in his voice.

‘Of course, I do. She’s my best friend.’

‘ _No, Lyds. You_ love _her_.’

The following days, had been awkward as hell. At least from her side. Then she’d decided that nothing had really changed. Yes, she loves Allison. And she would love for her to be more than her friend, but a friend was what Allison needed.

Or rather what _she_ had needed. Lydia didn’t think she could handle having her friend back and immediately have her be her girlfriend. She’d still been too scared that she would lose her again.

But a month later Allison is still here. And things feel normal. Aside from the tingly skin whenever they touch. They go shopping, cook dinner, clean the apartment, go to parties. Normal. Allison is even looking into courses at their community centre. She wants to find a hobby. It’s so normal, it’s almost boring.

‘Maybe there’s a clean bathroom left upstairs,’ Allison suggests.

‘Good thinking.’

Unfortunately, going upstairs means going through the living room. The living room is a mess of bodies, solo cups and forgotten food.

‘I think I just stepped in something,’ Lydia groans, trying to wipe her pumps on the carpet.

‘Come on, the sooner we’re out of here the sooner you can get the meatball off your shoes.’

‘I didn’t want to know that.’

Allison laughs and pushes her towards the stairs.

When they arrive there, it’s blocked by a boy and a girl arguing.

‘Come on,’ the guy says. ‘I know you want to.’

‘No, I don’t, Spencer. Just leave me alone.’

The girl takes a step back, but the boy follows her and reaches out his hand to grab her arm. Allison is quicker. She grabs Spencer’s wrist and plants herself between the asshole and the girl.

‘She said no.’ Allison is smiling, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. It’s the smile she directs at people she wouldn’t mind punching. Lydia hasn’t seen that smile for almost four months.

‘What’s it to you, bitch?’ He realizes his mistake when Allison’s smile drops and switches her grip from his wrist to his fingers, pulls up his hand and then the fingers down.

‘When you harass someone in my vicinity, you make it my business,’ Allison hisses. She gives a last pull on his fingers then lets go, making the guy stumble back. She turns to the girl. ‘You okay?’

‘Yeah, thanks. I’m Cary.’ Her eyes are wide in wonder and gratitude.

‘Allison. And this is Lydia.’

Lydia nods to the girl and tries to smile. Her mind is so flooded with possible reasons for Allison to remember her training, that she misses the guy stepping forward again and grabbing for Allison’s arm. Allison doesn’t miss the movement. She turns and grabs his arm before he can grab hers. She twists it behind his back, while at the same time planting a foot behind him and grabbing his shoulder with her other hand. She pulls him back, making him trip over her foot and he lands on his ass.

The room falls silent until one of the guys calls out, ‘Brooo!’

Lydia rolls her eyes. She’s never understood why guys do that. The only two people it’s ever sounded normal with to her, are Scott and Stiles. But then they are the most not-normal people she knows.

‘Cary!’ A girl in her late teens comes running. Well, stumbling. ‘What’s happened?’

‘Spencer was being a dick, and Allison here saved me,’ Cary explains with a grin.

‘I’m not letting you out of my sight again. And you,’ the girl says turning to Spencer, ‘had better not come in it.’

‘Thanks again!’ Cary calls out as she’s being dragged away by her friend.

‘Come on. Let’s go find that bathroom,’ Allison says, turning to Lydia.

After having interrupted two couples and a game of spin-the-bottle, they finally find an empty bedroom with an adjacent bathroom.

‘I’ll get you a washcloth for your shoe,’ Allison disappears into the bathroom.

Lydia tries to push what’s just happened to the back of her mind. She can think it over when they get home. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe Allison has simply been watching kung fu movies.

When they’re both done, they step back into the hallway. The noises coming from downstairs indicate that either there’s a football match going on, or a fight.

‘I’m not going back down there. This skirt is new and I’d like to wear it more than once.’

‘Okay,’ Allison says. ‘Maybe we can climb down the side of the house.’

‘I’m wearing a skirt and six inch heeled pumps. I can’t climb anything, sweetie.’

Allison just smiles and shakes her head. She moves to the window, opens it and sticks her head out.

‘I can see a ladder lying in the yard.’

‘I don’t see how that’s of any use to us, since we’re up here.’

Her friend doesn’t answer. She climbs out the window and does a somersault off the windowsill. Lydia runs to the window to make sure she’s okay.

Allison is standing on the lawn waving up at her with an excited smile, unaware that she almost gave her friend a heart attack. Lydia swears under her breath.

When she’s on the ground she smooths down her skirt and turns to Allison.

‘I’m in trouble,’ Allison states.

‘You scared the hell out of me. First that guy and now you’re jumping out of windows. Is there something you’re not telling me?’ She raises her eyebrow, trying to disguise her worry.

‘Maybe I have secret ninja-skills,’ Allison grins. She does a couple fake karate chops and smiles broadly in expectation.

Lydia can’t help smiling back. It’s part relief and partly because Allison looked ridiculous doing those karate chops.

‘I promise to only use my powers for good,’ Allison continues. ‘Like helping girls get away from harassers and getting my best friend out of houses that are about to be visited by the cops.’

She kisses Lydia on the cheek, leaving behind a smear of lip-gloss.

‘Fine.’ Lydia nudges her friend so she starts walking. ‘Now let’s get to the car so your friend can get you far away from said house.’

‘Ally A, Defender of the Defenceless!’ Allison cries out.

Lydia feels a chill run through her. She rubs her forearms, but she can get rid of the goosebumps.

~

On the way home, Lydia’s thoughts are racing through her head. What if Allison’s remembering? What if she hates her when she does? What if she remembers getting killed? Peter came back almost the same, but he was already crazy. She needs to talk to someone. Preferably Stiles. She needs him to tell her that everything will be okay. He’s a terrible liar, but he’ll talk around the subject in such a ridiculous way that she’ll laugh and things won’t seem so bad.

She jumps when Allison places her hand on her arm. The car swerves a little, but she quickly pulls it back to the middle of the lane.

‘Hey, are you still mad at me?’

‘I’m not mad. Just a little tired.’

‘The party wasn’t that exciting,’ Allison smiles and she tilts her head. ‘What’s going on?’

‘I was just thinking we needed to do some grocery shopping.’ It’s not a complete lie, they do need a couple things.

‘Right.’ She can tell Allison doesn’t really believe her, though. ‘Lydia, there’s something I want to ask you.’

Lydia grips the steering wheel tighter, her knuckles going white, but she smiles when she throws a glance at the other girl and nods. ‘Sure. What is it?’

‘Do you want to go on a date with me?’

The car swerves again. Thank god, it’s quiet on the road, or she would’ve crashed the car.

‘What?’

‘You’re my best friend. You know me better than anyone. And I think I might be in love with you.’

Lydia throws Allison another glance. She needs to pull over before she _does_ crash the car. When they’ve stopped, she turns to face her friend.

‘Are you serious?’

‘Of course, I am.’

‘Then yes.’

Allison’s smile is radiant. She ducks her head a little, but then looks back up at Lydia. Lydia’s own smile is a little smaller, but no less happy.

‘How does tomorrow sound?’

Lydia chuckles. ‘You don’t waste any time do you? Tomorrow sounds perfect. What did you have in mind?’

‘Well, I know you don’t mind eating pizza and ice-cream while watching a movie. But I have a feeling that’s not going to work for a first date.’

‘That feeling is correct.’

‘How about dinner and a movie? No. Shopping and a movie.’

‘You know me so well,’ Lydia puts the car back in drive and pulls back onto the road.

‘Well, I am your best friend,’ Allison says. She looks down at where Lydia’s hand is resting on the gearbox. She moves her own hand on top of it and slots their fingers together. This time Lydia manages to keep the car straight.

~

‘Nice hair-do,’ Stiles grins.

‘Shut up. It’s not like yours is any better.’

Even with the pixelated image she can Stiles’ hair is disaster. He tries to flatten his hair with a pout, but the result is even worse than what he started with.

‘So what’s the emergency?’

‘I think she’s remembering.’ Lydia rubs her wrist absently, trying to calm her nerves.

‘Fuck. Really? Has she said something?’ Stiles’ eyes widen with concern. ‘Is she okay?’

‘Yeah, she’s fine. We both are. But last night at a party, she took someone down without even blinking. And ten minutes later she somersaulted out of a window.’

‘Wow, she can do that? The somersault thing?’

‘She did that once when she was grounded, right after she moved to Beacon Hills.’

‘And that’s it? It’s sounds like muscle memory to me.’

‘Of course,’ she says, berating herself for not thinking of that. ‘It’s all subconscious. She’s had that training since she could walk.’

‘Exactly. Forgetting how to take out assholes would be like forgetting how to brush her teeth. That’s shit’s normal for her. I wouldn’t worry about it too much,’ Stiles assures her.

‘That’s not all. Right after she jumped out of that window she called herself “Defender of the Defenceless”.’

‘Oh. Wow. Okay, look if she does start remembering, don’t lie to her. And if you need one of us there, just call.’

‘Thank you, Stiles.’ She’d known Stiles would be able to help rationalize it all. She’s about to end the call, when Stiles holds up his hands.

‘Wait, there’s something else. I can see there’s more.’ He squints his eyes and moves closer to the screen, as if it will help him see her better.

She frowns, at first not realizing what else there could possibly be. When she remembers, she smiles broadly.

‘I have never seen you smile like that. Not even when you heard you had the highest grades of any student to ever graduate Beacon Hills High. What is it?’

‘She asked me out.’

‘What? Aw, dude!’

‘You don’t seem very excited for me, “friend”,’ Lydia says, lifting her eyebrows.

‘I’m happy for you. Really. But I’d bet Scott that you were going to be the one to ask her out.’

‘It’s nice to know my friends are so invested in my love life.’

‘Hey, it’s not like you’re not in on the bet on me and Derek.’ Stiles points an accusatory finger at her.

‘If you guys have your first kiss before Christmas, I will kill you.’

‘Only if you share your winnings with me. I’m poor. I’ll need the money for dates.’

‘Fine. How is everything over there?’ she asks. Now that she’s calmed down, she notices Stiles is looking a little tired, a sure sign he’s up at night researching.

‘There’s a small problem with a couple assassins,’ he admits.

‘And you didn’t think to tell me sooner? Is everyone okay? Do you need me?’

‘We’re all fine. We have a new packmember, though.’

‘What?!’ Scott bit someone?

‘It was kind of accidental. Scott had his hands pulled behind his back and the guy was about to fall off the side of the hospital roof.’

‘I leave you alone for one month and everything is going downhill.’

‘Seriously, don’t worry about us. Go have fun on your date!’ He waves and ends the call.

She shakes her head. Of course she’s going to worry. But Stiles said they didn’t need her help and if they did, Chris or the Sheriff would have contacted her by now.

She turns to face her bed. The contents of her closet are spread out over it. If she could just find the right outfit, the date _would_ be perfect.

~

‘Where would you like to go next?’ Lydia asks. ‘We’ve been to all my favourite stores. Now it’s your turn.’

‘Sports.’

‘I should’ve known.’

Allison bumps their shoulders together and steps onto the escalator. ‘I need some longer trousers for my morning runs. And maybe look around for a new hobby.’

‘There is such a thing called a hobby store, you know. I hear hobbies are their specialty.’

‘Haha,’ Allison smiles and shakes her head.

‘Speaking of hobbies, I wouldn’t mind if you took some of yours from your bedroom into the living room. Like yoga.’

‘Really?’ Allison smirks. When they step off the escalator she moves a little closer so she can drag her lips over the shell of Lydia’s ear and whisper, ‘You sure you can handle that?’

‘That would depend on the tightness of your yoga pants,’ she smirks back.

Her friend laughs and switches her bags to her other hand so she can twine their fingers together.

‘That sounds like a challenge.’

It takes only two minutes to find the tightest pants in the store. Lydia can feel her mouth dry up as she thinks of Allison wearing them. And by the look on Allison’s face, she knows it.

They then start roaming through the store, looking for a new hobby for Allison. Rock-climbing gets a face, and so does cycling. But when they enter the archery section, Allison’s eyes light up.

‘What do you think?’ she asks, holding up one of the bows and pulling back the string. ‘Will it make a good addition to my secret ninja-skills?’

‘That’s a very good stance,’ the employee working that sections says. ‘How long have you been shooting?’

‘Never touched a bow before,’ Allison shrugs, but she’s glowing from the compliment.

Lydia can feel her heart crumbling a little. And it keeps crumbling as Allison picks out a bow, as the employee hands her a list of all the nearby archery ranges. And when they step out of the store she collects all the broken off pieces and fits them back as well as she can.

‘Let’s go get tacos and see that movie,’ she smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


	3. I Will Not Ask and Neither Should You

>> **she’ll be fine!**

<< _What if she’s not? What if she remembers and I’m not there?_

>> **then she’ll come home and ask you what the fuck is going on**

Lydia sighs. Stiles is being extremely unhelpful. She’d been nervous when Allison had bought the bow, but thought she’d have time to change her girlfriend’s mind. Or distract her long enough that she’d forget about it. But Lydia had come home from the laundromat the day after their date to find out that Allison had already booked a class. She’d smiled and hugged her, but she’s been texting Stiles half-formed panicky thoughts ever since.

>> **we’ve been through this already lyds**

<< _I’m just worried._

>> **i know**

>> **if you want to take your mind off this you can help me figure out a punishment for derek**

<< _What’s he done?_

>> **caught a bullet**

<< _Who was it for?_

>> **me**

She shakes her head.

<< _He’s not going to stop doing that._

>> **what if I promise him blowjobs?**

<< _Then he’s DEFINITELY not going to stop._

<< _And I will lose the bet so don’t you dare!_

>> **that bet was for kisses not blowies**

She’s about to tell Stiles that he’s going to have to explain to Derek that he’ll be happy to blow him, but not french him, when she hears the front door unlocking.

<< S _he’s back._

Her phone buzzes with Stiles’ reply but she doesn’t look. Instead, she throws her phone to the other side of the couch. All her attention is on Allison.

‘How was it?’

‘It was amazing,’ Allison says. She’s clapping her hands together, rocking back and forth on her feet in excitement. ‘The instructor said I was a natural and he didn’t really have anything to teach me. Unless I wanted to try out different types of bows. I said yes, of course. And he said that he might even take me on to help with his classes. One of the other instructors is moving out of state, so they’ll have an opening.’

‘I’m happy for you.’ And she really is. She’s missed Allison’s girly excitement. It’s so adorable and infectious. ‘So the search for a new hobby is completed?’

‘Not exactly.’ Allison stalks forward, plants her knees on the couch on either side of Lydia’s legs, straddling her.

Even knowing what’s about to happen, Lydia feels her heart speed up with anticipation. They hadn’t kissed after their first date. And in the following days Allison had been too excited by the prospect of her “first” archery lesson, and Lydia too nervous, so neither of them had made a move. And she’d been scared of even more change. So much had happened in the last week. But now that she has a lap full of Allison, all that fades away.

She tilts her head up, waiting for Allison to lower hers. She slides her hands up Allison’s jeans clad thighs and cups the girl’s ass, pulling her closer.

When their lips touch she can feel a fire starting in her lower belly. It’s not like with anyone else, not a need to be satisfied. It’s more comfortable, like a hearth fire that warms a living room, instead of fireworks, fun and then gone after the climax.

She sighs and Allison takes the opportunity to lick into her mouth. She tightens her grip on Allison’s ass, giving as good as she gets. Allison moves her hands up Lydia’s arms, leaving a trail of tingling skin.

Lydia lets herself fall against the back of the couch. Allison moves with her and presses their chests together. Every point of contact feels like there are marks being engraved on her skin. And she wouldn’t mind. She’s never been a huge fan of hickeys, they’re always such a pain to cover up. But she doesn’t mind walking around being marked by Allison.

She moves her hands up Allison’s back and then along the girl’s arms, to where Allison’s hands are now cradling the back of her head. Her thumbs are rubbing circles on the sensitive skin on the inside of Allison’s wrists. The girl’s lip are starting to form a smile. It makes Lydia smile back. And soon, they’re both grinning so widely that they have to break the kiss.

Allison leans her forehead together.

‘Is this going to be another new hobby? Because if it is, I approve,’ Lydia says. She moves her hands to lay them against Allison’s cheeks.

Allison moves back a little, but tilts her head so it’s resting against Lydia’s right hand. Her hands have moved from Lydia’s head to her waist and are resting there comfortably.

‘That wasn’t actually what I meant, but I’m sure I can find time for it,’ she smiles. ‘I want to find something we can do together.’

Lydia raises her eyebrows.

‘I mean outside of the house.’

The eyebrows rise a little higher.

‘You know what I mean,’ Allison laughs. She moves off Lydia’s lap.

Lydia’s about to protest, but then Allison tucks herself into her side and all complaints evaporate. She pulls Allison’s arm into her lap and starts drawing shapes on it with her fingertips.

‘Remember Cary? From that party?’

How could she possibly forget anything about that night? But she doesn’t say anything, she just nods and waits for Allison to continue.

‘I ran into her on the way back. You know that hipster hobby store two blocks away?’

‘The one where they made a giant coffee cup out of take-away cups from every single coffee shop in San Francisco?’

‘That one. They have a jewellery-making course and Cary teaches it on Wednesdays. She said we could have our first lesson for free. As a thank you for saving her.’

Lydia doesn’t have to think it over. She loves making pretty things. ‘Let’s do it.’

‘I’ll call her. Maybe she can fit us in for tomorrow’s class.’ Allison jumps off the couch to retrieve her phone from her bag.

Catching sight of her own phone on the other end of the couch, Lydia grabs it to check Stiles’ answer.

>> **how is she?**

<< _She’s fine._

~

‘I still think this place is ridiculous, but this _is_ kind of fun,’ Lydia mumbles.

‘Shh, she’ll hear you,’ Allison giggles.

Lydia smiles at the sound, and goes back to twisting her silver wire into a butterfly. She pulls her creation a little closer to her face and inspects it from all sides. The curve of the left wing isn’t quite right. She puts the wire between the jaws of the tiny pliers and pulls gently.

‘I love it when you do that,’ Allison says. She’s put her own work down to stare at Lydia. ‘Whenever you concentrate you purse your lips. Like you’re promising your work a kiss if it’s good enough.’

‘If you make me something nice, I’ll promise you a kiss.’

‘You’ll kiss me anyway,’ Allison grins.

‘You two are a couple?’ Cary says. She has a look on her face that most people only get when seeing baby animals. ‘Are you on a date?’

‘Yeah, uhm, this is actually our second date,’ Allison admits.

‘Please don’t tell me that party was your first date.’

‘Not even for Allison would I have gone to a frat party as a first date,’ Lydia says. She’s still inspecting her butterfly.

‘Are you making these for each other?’

‘Yes.’ She keeps as much bite out of her voice as she can. The girl is sweet, but this wing needs more adjusting and she’s making her lose focus.

‘So that’s a butterfly. And what are you making, Allison?’ Cary continues, completely oblivious of Lydia’s dismissal.

‘It’s an arrowhead.’

Lydia nearly snaps the wire in two. The rest of the conversation she hears as if through a blanket.

‘You shoot bow and arrow?’

‘I started this week.’

‘Is this what your arrows look like?’

‘Not really, but this design just popped into my head. What do you think, Lydia?’

Did someone just call her name? She’s not sure. It has that strange quality her banshee dreams tend to have.

‘Lydia?’ Allison repeats.

The blanket falls away and she turns to the two girls with a smile, putting down her butterfly and pliers.

‘Sorry. Hyper-focus. What is it?’

‘What do you think? Is it nice?’ Allison holds up the little arrowhead in front of her. It looks delicate, the way the wires are twisted. But it also looks very familiar, reminding her of the arrows Allison used to make. Before.

‘It is,’ she agrees. She quickly blinks the tears from her eyes.

It makes her miss Allison moving forward and she jumps a little when their lips touch. When Allison moves back, she takes one of Lydia’s hands and presses the arrowhead into it.

‘Then it’s yours.’

~

The jewellery making had been fun, but they’d decided to keep looking. They’d tried to break it to Cary nicely, but the girl had simply laughed and said it was fine. Jewellery-making wasn’t for everyone. She’d then pushed several brochures into their hands for other creative courses. Which is why they’re now both sitting in front of an easel, brushes in their hands and a little table with paints between them.

‘You know what you want to make?’ Allison asks.

‘No idea. I think I’m just going to pick a colour and see what happens.’

She dips her brush into the blue paint and begins. She doesn’t resurface until Allison jumps off her stool almost an hour later, dropping her brush and nearly stumbling over her own feet.

Lydia frowns. Allison isn’t clumsy. She looks at her girlfriend’s canvas and has to suppress the urge to jump back herself.

Allison’s painted a forest. A dark forest that looks a lot like the preserve back in Beacon Hills. The forest floor is covered in red droplets. It almost looks like blood.

‘Allison?’ she asks, not sure what she’s even asking for. An explanation, maybe. Or reassurance that everything is okay.

‘I- My brush slipped.’ Allison’s smile looks a little forced. Her eyes slip over the painting, avoiding the red droplets.

‘You want to get a new piece of paper?’

‘No, it’s almost time anyway,’ Allison says with a shake of her head. She turns to Lydia’s piece. Her eyes widen and her smile turns more genuine. ‘Impressive.’

Lydia looks at her own painting. Only now realizing she doesn’t even know what she’s painted. A black wolf is staring at her, its eyes a bright electric blue. Beta blue. She feels her breath speeding up and can hear her heartbeat in her ears. She doesn’t know a lot of people with eyes like that, and only two of them she doesn’t hate.

She gets up and pulls her phone from her skirt pocket. ‘I don’t think painting is really our thing.’

‘But yours looks great,’ Allison protests.

‘Hmm. It’s alright.’ She fires off a quick text to Stiles, asking if everyone’s okay. ‘But I think we should keep looking.’

Allison’s eyes slide over her own painting again. ‘You’re right,’ she says, but doesn’t move.

Lydia grabs her hand and walks her out of the room, rubbing soothing circles on the inside of her girlfriend’s wrist.

~

Lydia closes the front door behind her, dropping the shopping bags on the floor. She never thought there would be anything a bit of shopping couldn’t fix. Or at least make feel less bad. She was wrong. She still hasn’t heard back from Stiles and she’s still worried about Allison.

She doesn’t want to leave the life they have here. It’s not big, or even perfect, but it’s theirs. There are no monsters. They don’t have to run for their lives every other day. She can wear heels without thinking they would be impractical to run in.

She sighs and checks her phone again. Still no messages. She’s tempted to call the Sheriff, but doesn’t want him to worry needlessly. Which it probably would be. Stiles probably just forgot to charge his phone. And she painted that wolf because she misses her pack. She even misses Malia a little, and she doesn’t even really know the girl.

‘I’m in the bedroom!’ Allison calls out.

Lydia jerks her head up. She hadn’t expected Allison to be home yet. She’d planned on making her a surprise. Since the painting class the day before,  they’ve both been tense. Allison not knowing what had happened, and Lydia waiting for another reminder of their life in Beacon Hills. They both need something goofy, something whimsical.

She quickly takes off her shoes and coat, picks up her bags from the floor and walks to their bedroom.

She loves being able to say that. _Their_ bedroom. The night after they’d gone to Cary’s jewellery-making class, Allison had walked in at around midnight and lay down next to her. When Lydia had asked if anything was wrong, she’d simply stated that since they were dating now it was stupid to sleep in different beds. Lydia had smiled and then curled up in her girlfriend’s arms.

‘Hey.’ She walks in, holding up the bags. ‘I got you a present.’

Allison is folding laundry. The clothes are stacked in neat piles on the bed, according to Lydia’s system. It’s all sorted by type and colour.

‘Is it a present for me or a present that’s technically for both of us.’

Lydia laughs and kisses her lightly. ‘It is for both of us, but it’s not sexy. If you think this is sexy, we need to get you checked.’

‘What is it?’ Brown eyes grow big in excitement.

Lydia pulls the first abomination out of the bag. ‘This one is for you.’ Then she empties the other bag. ‘And this one is for me.’

‘What _is_ that?’

‘They’re pyjamas.’

‘Are we going to get radiation poisoning?’

It’s a fair question. Allison’s are bright orange, while her own are yellow. The colours would be better described as “orange puke” and “yellow vomit”. There are little toxic-green hearts embroidered all over the fabric. At least the cut isn’t too bad and the fabric is incredibly soft.

‘Am I supposed to wear this?’ Allison asks. She tries to look offended, but there are little lights in her eyes and her cheeks are dimpling.

‘Yes. And we are going to order pizza, sit on the couch and watch romantic movies.’

‘I can’t believe you of all people bought these,’ Allison laughs.

‘I was wearing a hat and sunglasses. Nobody but you knows or will know.’ And there really is no one else she would do this for. She’s Lydia Martin, she loves to look perfect. She can be a little less perfect around her friends, but Allison is the only one who she’ll ever dare to look terrible with.

‘Well it sounds like you had an exciting day.’

‘I did. And you? How was your day?’ She puts down the pyjamas and starts putting away the folded clothes.

‘Good.’ Allison’s face turns troubled for a moment.

‘What’s wrong?’ 

‘When I was pulling back the string to shoot my last arrow, I saw something. It looked like there was a blonde woman, standing in front of my target.’

‘A woman?’ Lydia barely manages to get out. If there was anyone she’d wanted Allison to remember first it would’ve been her dad, not Kate.

‘Well, more like a girl, I think. She seemed about our age.’ Lydia wants to sigh in relief. What happened with Erica wasn’t much better, but at least it wasn’t the psycho aunt. ‘I wanted to yell at her to get out of there, that she could get hurt, but then she was gone. It was like she had never even been there.’

‘Maybe you’re just tired,’ Lydia tries to reassure her. ‘I think you can use a night of horrible pyjamas, pizza and romance.’

‘Yeah, maybe. Although I’m not sure how these are going to make me feel better,’ Allison says, snatching her pyjamas off the bed and holding them up with a disgusted look on her face.

‘Just go order the pizza. I’ll put away the rest of these clothes,’ Lydia laughs.

Allison gives her a quick kiss and walks out of the room, while Lydia goes back to putting away the clothes. She smiles as she sees their clothes lying side by side. The smile turns to a grimace when she catches sight of her own pyjamas on the bed. They really are horrible.

The pizza guy agrees, because when they open the door, he just stands there stunned. She’s not unaccustomed to men staring at her, but this is more a look of horror than admiration. She tips him extra for the trauma.

‘I didn’t think eyes could get that big,’ Allison laughs when they’re curled up on the couch.

‘You should’ve seen the lady at the register. She actually made a face as if these things smelled bad.’

‘At least they’re comfy.’

She loves _Clueless_ , but tonight Lydia can’t focus on it. She still hasn’t heard anything back from the pack and she’s starting to get worried. If she hasn’t heard anything by tomorrow afternoon, she’s calling the Sheriff.

She’s half asleep, curled up on her side and draped over her girlfriend, when she feels Allison shake her shoulder lightly. ‘I think we should go to bed.’

‘I like it here,’ she mumbles.

‘So do I, but I’d like to brush my teeth before I actually fall asleep.’

‘Good point.’

Ten minutes later, Lydia curls around Allison in the exact same way had on the couch. She’s asleep in minutes.

~

‘Lydia! Lydia, please wake up!’ Allison’s voice sounds urgent, bordering on panic.

Lydia blinks open her eyes. When she takes in the sight of her girlfriend, trembling and holding a knife, she shoots up, eyes not moving from Allison’s hand. The mark on her wrist standing out in the low light of the bedroom.

‘Why am I holding a knife?’ Allison whispers. ‘Why did I even take a knife to the bedroom?’

Lydia moves closer slowly, so she won’t scare her.

‘Allison, can you give me the knife?’ she asks, keeping her voice low and even. ‘Just hand me the knife and tell me what happened.’

Allison finally looks up at her, her eyes wide in shock and her face devoid of colour.

Lydia wants to cry. She should have told her. She should have told her that first week. Then Allison wouldn’t be so scared right now. Allison hates feeling scared and it’s all because of her.

Allison places the knife on the sheets between them. She doesn’t take her eyes off it when Lydia places it on the nightstand.

‘I was dreaming,’ Allison begins, her eyes going distant. ‘There was a fight. A battle. I had a bow and arrow, and there were others too. I remember a blond guy. He nearly got stabbed by someone dressed like a samurai. But all in black and they wore these masks. I shot an arrow at it. There was a blinding light and then nothing but pain. Right here.’ She places a hand on her abdomen. Lydia knows what’s there. It’s the only physical reminder of what happened at Eichen House, a faint white line where the Oni’s blade had entered Allison’s body. ‘And then I heard you scream. You were screaming my name. It vibrated through my entire body, pulling at me.

‘Then I woke up with the knife in my hand.’ She glances at where it’s lying behind Lydia on the nightstand. ‘The worst part is, it doesn’t feel like a dream. It feels like a memory.’

Lydia moves closer, close enough so she can wrap her arms around Allison’s waist and pull her closer. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she says. ‘I should have told you sooner.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘You died, Allison. And I brought you back.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


	4. Just Put Your Sweet Lips on My Lips

‘That’s not funny, Lydia.’

‘I’m not joking. What’s your father’s name? When did we meet? When did you get your driver’s license?’ With each question Allison looks more confused. She doesn’t know the answers. ‘How old are you?’

‘I don’t know,’ Allison whispers. She gets off the bed and starts pacing the room, dragging her hands through her hair in agitation. ‘How can I not know these things?’

Lydia doesn’t take her eyes of her girlfriend as moves to sit on the edge of the mattress. She wants to hug her, hold her hand, but she’s not sure what _Allison_ wants right now.

‘Your mind blocked out all the events from right before your death,’ she explains. ‘And with it, a lot of other memories got lost, too.’

‘But not you.’

‘I- We think it’s because I was the one who brought you back.’

Allison sits down next to her, but doesn’t reach out, doesn’t ask for comfort.

‘Who is “we”?’

Lydia closes her eyes for a moment, gathering her nerve. Of course, Allison wants to know the truth before anything else. So that’s what she tells her. Lydia tells her how she moved to Beacon Hills in her sophomore year. She tells her about werewolves, about hunters, her family. She tells her about the pack, and how they fight to keep their territory safe. She talks about how they’d faced something they didn’t know how to fight, something that wore their friend’s face. Lydia had been kidnapped and they’d all come after her. And then Allison had died. She’d still saved them with her arrows. Like she always does. But when the dust had settled Lydia hadn’t grieved. She’d used her pain to drive her, to find a way to bring Allison back. She’d brought back one person already. She could do it again.

‘I knew it had to be me. I’m the banshee, the link with the dead. So I searched everywhere and I found a way. We didn’t think it had worked at first. We waited, but nothing happened. Nothing had happened, because I wasn’t being a banshee. And so I screamed.’

‘The scream in my dream,’ Allison nods.

‘I screamed then too, when you died. It’s a way to focus the power. I focused and you came back. You were so confused when we pulled you out. It’s how you got that mark on your wrist.’ She reaches out to Allison to turn over her hand, but the girl flinches back. Lydia pretends she didn’t see it and moves up her own sleeve to show a similar mark. ‘When you grabbed my arm, your grip was seared into my skin and mine in yours. We’re lucky that’s the only keepsake we got out of the resurrection.

‘We then brought you to my family’s lake house. We couldn’t take you back into town in case someone recognized you. We put you to bed and you fell asleep the moment your head hit the pillow.’ She smiles at the memory. She’d been so relieved. Allison was alive, looking so peaceful wrapped in those blankets. But she’d never been as scared as she was the next morning. ‘When I came to check on you the next day, you were gone. I thought I’d imagined it all, that I’d had a very vivid dream. But when I went to check outside, you were there, wandering through the woods. You didn’t seem to remember me, but you at least understood me. The day after that, when you woke up, I thought you were you. You were smiling and talking about taking the boat out on the lake that afternoon, but when I brought up one of the others, you didn’t seem to recognize the name. We all thought you would get back the rest of your memories in a few days, a week at most, but you didn’t. So Stiles came up with the plan for a gap-year. We’d go away, start over.’

‘And now we’re here.’ Allison is gripping the sheets tightly, her knuckles turning white, voice strained. ‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner? That was my life. I have a right to know.’

‘You were so happy. You didn’t remember any of the bad things. And there are so many, Ally. I didn’t _want_ you to remember,’ Lydia pleads.

‘I need some air,’ Allison says. She walks to the closet, pulls out some clothes and leaves the bedroom.

Lydia cringes when the front door slams two minutes later.

~

It’s almost noon and Allison still hasn’t returned. In the four hours that she’s been gone, Lydia has cleaned almost the entire house, sent Chris her weekly email, sent texts to everyone in the pack, and checked the internet for any news on Beacon Hills. The only thing she hasn’t done is call Allison. She doesn’t even know what she would say to her, aside from another apology.

She sinks down onto their couch, fingers tracing the mark on her wrist, when her phone buzzes. Someone is calling her. She picks up, not checking the caller-ID.

‘Hello?’ She needs some good news, whether it’s someone from Beacon Hills telling her they went on a camping trip and they had no cell reception, or Allison to say that she’s coming back.

‘ _Hey, Lyds_ ,’ Stiles says. He sounds tired. _‘You okay? You’ve called me eighteen times since yesterday_.’

‘Am I okay? I painted a wolf with bright blue eyes, without realizing. Then none of you picks up their damn phones. Oh, and Allison dreamt about her death last night so I had to tell her everything. She’s been out getting some air for the past four hours. So in conclusion, no, I’m not okay. You better have some good reason to not have called me back sooner.’

‘ _Derek got shot_.’

‘That’s a good reason.’

Stiles laughs. ‘ _I’m glad you think so.’_

‘Is he going to be okay? Are you okay?’

_‘It was touch and go for a while. There was this squad of mercenaries. We lured them to a warehouse, away from the town, tried to buy some time to terminate that damn deadpool.’_

‘Did you?’

 _‘Yeah, it’s over. But before we did, Derek jumped in front of Scott. The fucker jumped in front of an Alpha that heals twice as fast as he does._ ’ The last vestiges of Stiles’ fear is discernible in his sigh. Then he snorts. _‘And instead of the universe telling him that it was stupid by forcing him to stay in bed for a week, it gave him the ability to turn into a wolf. Like some kind of reward for idiocy.’_

‘You mean an actual wolf?’ Lydia asks, impressed. It makes sense. Derek’s mother and sister had been able to turn into wolves. Even Peter had been able to turn into some semblance of a real wolf when he’d been an Alpha.

‘ _Yep. Oh, and we’ve had another surprise. Malia is Peter’s daughter.’_

‘Poor girl.’

_‘Well, at least she has Derek as a slightly sane family member. So, you had to tell Allison.’_

‘Yes.’

 _‘I’m sorry you had to do this alone.’_ Stiles’ voice turns soft.

‘Thank you.’ Tears are welling up in her eyes. Until Stiles said it, she hadn’t even realized how alone she’d felt that morning.

_‘Does this mean you guys are coming home? I’m kinda missing two of my best friends.’_

‘Maybe. If Allison wants to.’

‘ _Do_ you _want to?’_

‘Right now, the only thing I want more, is for Allison to come home.’

_‘She’ll come home, you’ll hug, kiss, pack your bags and get your asses over here.’_

‘I hope so,’ she laughs.

_‘Talk to you soon.’_

‘Definitely.’

She drops her phone on the couch. She leans back and settles in for a wait. She has no idea how long it will take for Allison to return. She picks up her phone again, just to make sure she hasn’t missed any calls or texts. She stares at the clock on the display, watches the minutes go by. After a while she doesn’t even really see the numbers anymore.

‘Lydia?’ Allison is standing by the front door. She doesn’t look angry anymore, but still a little shaken.

‘Hey.’ Her voice breaks a little and she realizes she’s been crying. She quickly wipes away the tears and tries for a smile. ‘How are you?’

Allison sets her bag on the floor and walks over to the couch. Lydia tries to slide over, to give her some space, but she doesn’t take it. The moment Allison sits down, she wraps Lydia in a tight hug.

Lydia hugs her back with a sob of relief. She thought she’d lost Allison again, just when she’d gotten her back.

‘I’m sorry,’ Allison whispers in her hair.

‘You have not to be sorry for.’

‘I left you.’

‘You were only gone a couple of hours,’ Lydia says, pulling back to look at her.

‘That’s not what I meant.’ Allison brushes Lydia’s hair out of her face. There is a soft look in her eyes. Lydia remembers her parents looking at each other like that when she was younger. ‘I love you, Lydia Martin. And if I had been the one to be left behind, I would have torn apart the world to find a way to get you back.’

Before she can respond, Allison’s lips are covering hers. It’s soft, barely more than a caress.

‘I love you, too, Allison Argent,’ Lydia smiles when she pulls back. Her fingers are tangled in Allison’s hair and she leans their foreheads together. ‘And let’s agree on neither of us dying.’

‘Ever?’

‘Ever.’

Allison brushes their lips together again before pulling back entirely.

‘I bought us lunch. I have sandwiches and coffee,’ she smiles excitedly. She grabs her bag and pulls out the food. Only now Lydia notices the take-away cups on the coffee table. ‘But first you’re going to tell me what happened when I was gone.’

Lydia wants to deny it, doesn’t want to add on to everything Allison is already dealing with, but one look at Allison’s face tells her it’s not going to work.

‘I got a call from Stiles.’

‘The human who was possessed.’

‘Yes. There was a skirmish last night. Everyone is okay, but-‘ Lydia runs her hands over her skirt, smoothing it out. She doesn’t finish her sentence, not wanting to put Allison on the spot and make her do something she isn’t ready for.

‘- but you wish you’d been there.’

‘I miss them,’ she confesses. ‘Things aren’t much better there now, but they are my pack. Our pack.’

‘Then let’s go back.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘I miss them, too,’ Allison says. She looks down at her hands and starts picking at her nails. Lydia quickly twines their fingers together in comfort. ‘Sometimes I get the feeling I should be calling someone. Or that there is a joke I should remember so I can tell one of our friends, but none of the friends we’ve made here fits quite right. Like there’s something missing.’

‘You mean the shared near-death experiences?’

‘That must be it,’ Allison laughs.

‘We’re going back,’ Lydia says in wonder.

‘Yes, but lunch first.’

~

A couple hours later Allison is locking their front door for what may be the last time.

‘Do you think we’ll come back here?’ she asks.

‘Stanford is a pretty good school and your dad owns the apartment. So, maybe.’

Allison nods. ‘I hope we do.’

They have terrible burgers and fries, but amazing pie, for dinner at a roadside diner. Then they switch drivers and Allison drives until midnight, when they decide it’s time to look for a motel.

‘What’s wrong?’ Allison asks when Lydia hesitates by the door to their room.

‘I don’t like motels,’ she admits.

‘I know. Last time you didn’t seem too happy about it either, but I thought it was because you didn’t think it was clean enough.’ Allison tilts her head to the side. Then she smiles and reaches out her hand. ‘Come on. I’ll keep you safe with my ninja skills.’

Lydia huffs out a laugh and shakes her head. She grabs Allison’s hand tightly, letting herself be dragged into the room.

‘Tell me,’ Allison says, once she’s in the safety of her arms.

‘We were following the guys to a lacrosse meet. We stayed in this horrible motel that had a reputation for suicides. There was a darach in town, an evil druid. She tried to influence several of our pack members to kill themselves. We- We almost couldn’t save them. And I could feel it, all those deaths. The ones that had happened before, the ones that almost happened. In the end, we decided to sleep in the school bus so she wouldn’t be able to get to us again.’

Allison kisses the top of her head. ‘If I remembered, I probably wouldn’t want to sleep in a motel either.’

‘I think you still would. You’d just bring an extra set of knifes.’

Lydia pulls back to find her girlfriend staring at her in wonder.

‘I can fight with knifes? I really am a ninja.’

‘Which means you’re very strong and athletic. So you can bring in our luggage, while I go check if the shower works.’

‘You’re lucky I love you,’ Allison mumbles, squinting her eyes.

‘I know.’

Allison’s face softens and she exits the room with a smile.

Lydia moves to the bathroom, undressing on the way. She feels sticky from the car ride, and she’s exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster they were on that morning. But now they’re going home, to their pack. She’d called Stiles in the car and put him on speaker. He’d whooped with joy at the news of their return. They talked for a little while, and before hanging up Allison had thanked him.

‘ _For what?’_

‘For being there for Lydia. For helping her getting me back.’

_‘Of course. And it wasn’t just for her. I-‘_

‘It wasn’t you. I know that.’

‘ _Yeah, please remember that when you see me and feel the urge to stab me, or something,_ ’ he’d laughed bitterly.

‘I won’t let her stab you,’ Lydia assured him. ‘Scott would try to stop her. A bow would be far more efficient.’

_‘Ha. Ha. You know, I was planning on threatening one of you if you hurt the other. Do the whole brotherly thing, but I just remembered that I’m terrified of you both.’_

‘Thank you,’ both girls had said in chorus. They’d hung up giggling.

She turns the shower taps, crossing her fingers. It takes a while, but she manages to get the temperature right.

‘Think we’ll both fit?’ Allison asks. She’s leaning against the doorpost, looking Lydia up and down.

‘I think we’ll manage.’

When they’re both clean and dry, they tumble into the bed, drifting off before their heads touch the pillows.

~

They arrive at the apartment building midmorning. Allison will have plenty of time to reacquaint herself with her old house and talk to her dad.

‘Anything?’ Lydia asks for the nth time since re-entering the territory.

‘Just a feeling,’ Allison says, looking distracted. ‘I’m almost remembering something.’

‘That’s good,’ Lydia nods, getting out of the car.

She leads the way into the building and up to the apartment. Her hands are steady as she opens the door, but her heart is beating like crazy. She steps inside first and keeps a close eye on Allison’s reaction. The girl’s eyes widen when she steps across the threshold.

‘I know this place,’ she whispers. She walks through the rooms slowly. First the living room, then past the study and her father’s bedroom. She stops at her own bedroom door. ‘This is mine.’

‘Yes.’

Allison grips the doorknob tightly, twists it and pushes open the door. Lydia barely manages to catch her when she stumbles.

‘I think I need to sit down.’

Lydia helps her to the bed and Allison sinks down onto the mattress. Her face is a little white, but she seems to be doing okay.

‘I’m glad you’re here,’ Allison admits, a smile tugging at her lips.

Lydia sits down next to her and places her hand over Allison’s. ‘Of course.’

‘Are the windows electrified?’ Allison asks with a frown.

‘Yes. You did that when you and Isaac started to become a thing. You said it was for protection, but I think you just thought it was funny to watch him twitch a little.’

‘It was,’ Allison smiles. Then her eyes go wide and her face lights up. ‘Oh my god, I remember that! I also remember you laughing when I told you the story.’

‘It’s a good story,’ Lydia says, smiling back. ‘Are you ready?’

‘Yes.’

She fires off a text. The front door opens only a second after Lydia’s pressed send. Another two seconds and Chris Argent is standing in the doorway.

‘Dad?’ Allison’s voice sounds broken. She rushes to him and falls into her dad’s open arms, hugging him tightly.

Lydia ushers them further into the room, and then slips away to give them some privacy. She makes tea and calls Stiles to tell him that, so far, everything is okay. When she gets back to the bedroom, Allison and Chris are talking, their faces streaked with tears, but smiling.

‘Thank you,’ Allison says as Lydia hands her a warm mug.

‘Yes. Thank you, Lydia. For everything.’ Chris’ earnest gaze makes tears well up in Lydia’s eyes. She quickly blinks them away and nods.

‘I still don’t remember much, but I remember my dad. And my mom,’ Allison adds, her voice getting softer on the last word. ‘Just not specifics. I think it’s like how I’ve always known that you are my Lydia.’

‘That’s good.’ She feels her cheeks heat up. It’s not the first time Allison has said something sweet like that, but it’s usually just the two of them. It feels different with another person there. Bigger.

They talk until it’s time to go meet the pack at the McCall residence for lunch.

‘We’ll be back for dinner,’ Lydia says. She holds out her hand for Chris to shake, but he ignores it to pull her and Allison into a hug.

‘Don’t be late.’

It’s only a short drive, and fifteen minutes later they’re walking up to the house that currently holds their pack.

‘Are you sure?’ Lydia asks. ‘They will be a little exuberant. And they’ll be rubbing themselves all over us, since we’ve been gone so long and won’t smell enough of pack.’

Allison laughs. ‘That doesn’t sound too bad.’

‘I’ll remember you said that.’

The door opens before they’ve even reached the porch steps. Scott runs out and wraps both of them in a tight hug, burying his face in their necks.

‘I missed you so much,’ he says. ‘I’m glad you’re back.’

‘So are we.’ Lydia pets his head and smiles when Scott leans into it a little. He really is giant puppy.

‘Come on. We’re hungry.’ And then he runs back inside.

The only other person that comes outside to greet them is Stiles. He looks both happy and nervous to see them. He stiffens when Allison walks towards him without hesitation. But when she throws her arms around him, he relaxes and hugs her back.

‘Welcome back,’ he grins. He lets go of Allison and hugs Lydia. Then his faces turns sorrowful. ‘I have some bad news, Lyds.’

‘I lost the bet.’

‘How did you-‘

‘Your crush nearly died, of course you kissed him the moment he was no longer in danger of dying.’

‘Actually,’ Stiles says, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘I didn’t kiss him until this morning.’

She hits him over the head. ‘I didn’t think I’d have to teach _you_ about romance.’

‘It’s not my fault! He was brooding in his loft.’

‘I’m going in without you,’ Allison interrupts their banter, moving towards the door.

The pack is gathered in the living room. Derek smiles and nods at them both from his corner. Lydia rolls her eyes and wraps him up in a hug. Allison follows suit, and when they pull back, Derek’s eyes are wide in astonishment.

‘I think I missed your eyebrows,’ Allison smiles, head tilted to the side and smiling broadly.

Derek huffs, while Stiles is trying to hide his laughter in Scott’s shoulder.

Kira is just as bubbly as she remembers, though a little more sure of herself now that she’s firmly established in the pack and dating Scott. Malia is more polite than she’d expected. Stiles had made it seem like the coyote was still half-wild. Liam and Mason wave at them from the couch, looking awkward and intimidated.

‘I heard there was food,’ Allison says when they’re done hugging everyone.

‘Thank god,’ Malia groans. ‘I’m starving.’

As the afternoon passes, the realization that they’re home starts to really sink in. She can relax, at least until the next monster rolls into town. And there are no more secrets, no more things to hide from the person she loves most.

‘Alright,’ Stiles says, standing up and dragging Derek with him. ‘We have to skedaddle. It’s almost five-thirty and we have a movie to get to. I’m not missing out on any make-out-minutes in the back row. Allison, it’s awesome to have you back. Lydia, please don’t kill me in my sleep for making you lose the bet.’

‘We should go, too,’ Lydia says to Allison. ‘Or we’ll be late for dinner with your dad.’

‘There’s just one thing I want to say.’ Allison stands up. She looks around the room, at all the expectant faces focused on her. ‘I didn’t say anything earlier, because I didn’t want you to try to talk me out of this the entire afternoon.’ She takes a deep breath. ‘I want to help. With what is going on here. I want to fight with you guys, just like I did before.’

Lydia squeezes her eyes shut. There is a fleeting moment of panic, but then nothing but pride fills her heart. She’d expected this. Allison was never someone to let her friends fight her battles for her, or let them fight theirs alone.

‘We can’t stop you, can we?’ Scott says softly.

‘No.’

‘You’ll need training,’ Derek points out. ‘You’ve been inactive for a while.’

‘We can start tomorrow.’ Lydia squeezes her girlfriend’s hand. ‘If you want to.’

Allison’s shoulders sag in relief. She smiles down at Lydia and squeezes her hand back.

~

‘Thank you.’ Allison checks the tension on her bowstring, while Lydia lines up the arrows on the ground. ‘I know you don’t really like me going back out there.’

‘Of course, not,’ she says. She stands up, straightening out her skirt. ‘I wish none of have to go out there, but this is our live. And if we’re going to stay alive, we need to be at our peak. That is why I am going to hang this,’ she holds up a paper target, ‘on that tree over there.’

When the target is in place and she is standing next to Allison again, Lydia presses a quick kiss to the other girl’s cheek.

‘What was that for?’ Allison asks with a smile.

‘For luck. And because I love you.’

Allison doesn’t turn towards the target. Her smile widens and turns a little predatory.

‘No,’ Lydia quickly says. She ducks to grab one of the arrows off the plastic sheet and hands it over. Allison takes it with a pout, but lets herself be manhandled into position by Lydia. ‘You’ll get your reward when all the arrows hit the target.’

‘You sure I can shoot with this bow?’

They’d visited the storage locker on their way to the preserve. Allison had marvelled at all the weapons. She’d inspected every box and case. She’d tested the weights of bows and guns, twirled knifes in her hands. Her eyes had gleamed with excitement when she found the moulds for her arrowheads. Lydia hadn’t gotten her out of there until she’d told Allison that they couldn’t do target practice inside.

‘Yes,’ she assures her. ‘I’ve seen you do it. And considering all the things you already remember, I have faith that you’ll hit the centre with your first arrow.’

‘You really think I’ll remember?’

‘Of course. All you need are the right stimuli.’

‘Like my reward if I hit the target?’

‘If you don’t shoot, you’ll never find out.’

Allison relaxes her stance, lifts her bow, pulls back the string. She breaths out and lets the arrow fly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://fandom-madnessess.tumblr.com/).


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